Being is supremely powerful. This is an unobstructed view of the present moment. Sitting still and listening inward. But why is it so hard to sit still? Is there a part of us that doesn’t want to meet with the the inner light, the true self and the authentic presence we are all connected to?
While it may seem ridiculous to fight against meeting yourself, it may be something that is percolating under the surface of a life that has been crafted to fit in with everyone else. What if the scientist becomes an artist? What if the introvert becomes a public speaker?
We each have many potential selves to create and develop. Being, allows us to get close to the form we are comfortable living in and peer beneath it and see the spirit that is animating it and inviting another expression of the self. Here, we can also become creators of a reality. Being takes on another cosmic layer. We can shift into another version of ourselves by focusing on being. Imagining, what that form of the self feels like, acts like and how they live.
Inner travel re-invented.
Inner landscapes can be imagined and re-invented. We can change on many energetic levels. It is no surprise that the capacity to shift and peel back inner layers of understanding is possible if we open ourselves to this experience. But why consider inner travel?
Conditions and conditioning changes possibilities.
If we are driven by our conditioning and beliefs, it makes sense that changing our perception can shift our view of reality and, shift our choices more powerfully. By travelling inward we are given an opportunity to overwrite bad thoughts, patterns and limiting beliefs. Simply by observing them, they are being made defenceless against our observations. And, reduced in importance by exposing their weaknesses for what they are. It opens the door to another “being” and path to enliven.
Sitting meditations vs moving meditations.
When we choose to sit still we change our focus from what is going on around us to noticing our thoughts, our energy and even, can get a sense of our own spirit. We are not engaging changes in scenery or doing anything that demands us to make decisions or to act. Sitting puts the animated creature on pause. It forces all running thoughts to keep running but have little influence over our actions for a moment, anyhow.
Being has many front row seats. There are so many different landscapes to immerse yourself in. By allowing your senses to amplify and focus on one of them as we sit, we can become still and immersed in the experience. Memory of any previous experience can be cut away. We become more present in the moment and create a new memory.
Moving, shifts our awareness to specific repetitive movements.
Before I experienced meditation in motion, I had a lot of difficulty sitting still and becoming “inner still”. I wasn’t able to focus for very long and I seemed to be easily distracted by sounds, images, information downloads, rapidly changing dialogue and instant text feedback. When I tried to become still, my perception was noticeably humming away on autopilot. I was still directed to outward observations. Not much was pointed towards inner observation.
Then, I explored a different type of mindfulness training; deep relaxation through repetitive movement. This invited a wandering mind to focus on one experience, one movement. As a swimmer the best example I can use is the motion of an arm swimming piercing the water with each stroke. Sometimes I can focus on my hands slicing through the water and other times I can use the raising of an arm out of the water in a crawl stroke to focus on. But what happened was profound for an impatient meditator like me. I realized that the repetitive movements were soothing and relaxed my mind by asking it to just focus on one thing. As I did, I was able to “dump” all the other distracting and unproductive thoughts that caused me a lot of personal stress. This gave my mind a rest and it also gave it a form of escape.
This type of meditation might appeal to other impatient meditators. Logging in hours of cushion time might not be practical nor beneficial. Do you ever feel like a wild horse whose spirit is being “broken” when faced with long meditations? Then I invite you to test repetitive movement the next time you go for a run, ride your bike, swim or decide to go for a walk. A moving meditation will be transformative and most important, freeing. It can open the door to an inner peace and another state of being that will amaze you.
Being still does not mean don’t move. It means move in peace.
-E’yen A. Gardner
Presence and Being-ness are they the same?
The quest for being-ness.
When we move away from doing and allow being, it seems “awkward” and counter-productive. Wasting time doing nothing might appal some who aren’t willing to listen to what the inner self has to say. Or, just observe the thoughts moving through the mind with no judgement.
Being is a powerful spiritual state.
Being is powerful because it allows you to be who you are. Without, the mask or a set formula. You become as you are. Love who you are. And, literally recognize your own spirit.
Being as an energy state.
When we meditate or practice mindfulness, we make a connection to our body, notice our mind and , if you are lucky, experience a sense of a light, an energy that is spirit. We can observe how we are in the moment, our vitality, our mood, and our point of focus. But being present is not the same as being.
Presence as a divine state.
Presence is created by allowing your divine expression. And become more of who you are naturally. And being present, means you exist in the moment with all your senses engaged. You are literally recording the moment in your mind with your experience. Being on the other hand, is your spirit expressed and acknowledged. “This is me”.
Presence adds dimension to the present moment. It fills in the blanks with emotions, energy, what we see, smell, hear, sense intuitively and perceive.
Snapshots of reality
If it is true that we create reality by the experience of being, we can use our imagined presence in that version of being to amplify that experience as if it already exists. This is the basis of reality transurfing and visualization techniques that move forward and assume completion of a state.
High performance athletes are masters as seeing and accelerating results using both of these techniques. I dreamed the dream… with more detail is a powerful tool to shift your conditions and conditioning.
Short bursts of attention
Being can be observed in bits and bites. Use short bursts of attention to tap into how you are feeling in the moment and to sharpen your inner visual acuity. Sharpen your focus by noticing just one thing at a time. This blocks out distractions and interference.
Scattered energy can be directed to one task. This is a simple strategy to train yourself to focus. Just spending as little as 15 seconds focusing on something can strengthen your mind’s ability to focus. Dialling-in can be uncomplicated.
Natural meditations
Being immersed in nature, surrounding yourself with sounds, smells, textures and energy of where you are is healing and essential therapy for over-stressed senses and emotions. Just taking a few minutes to listen to rain, ocean waves or feel the wind on your face, releases the negative thoughts and the pressure of the moment. It will allow you to sink powerfully into being and presence.
When we think about becoming still as an inside job, it gives many active and impatient meditators hope. Not only can it be created through short bursts of attention, it can be catalyzed by being in nature and moving meditations. No longer left behind because of one’s nature, being and presence are both possible to personalize beautifully no matter who you are.
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